Tiemoue Bakayoko has been linked with a move away from Monaco all summer.
The dynamic midfielder has mostly been courted by Chelsea, but lately Manchester United have emerged as strong rivals for his signature. Given the two clubs recently went head-to-head over Romelu Lukaku, with United swooping in to capture a player Chelsea assumed was theirs, this could get hectic.
The Red Devils will hope they can repeat the trick they pulled off with Lukaku and snatch Bakayoko away at the last second, while the Blues will be expecting to wrap up a transfer saga that has dragged on because the Frenchman’s injury has prevented him from completing a medical.
If he were to head to Stamford Bridge, he would be able to link up with defensive workhorse N’Golo Kanté as the key members of Antonio Conte’s midfield. Meanwhile in Manchester he would play alongside another compatriot in the all-conquering Paul Pogba.
But would he thrive more next to Kante or Pogba? The right partnership could make or break a midfield, and we here at Squawka have compared the two possible ones for Bakayoko this summer and decided which is a better fit for Monaco’s man. Which is it? Read on!
The case for Pogba
Paul Pogba will be the best midfielder in the world someday soon, quite possibly before the end of the 2017/18 season. He’s a player who almost literally “has it all” with incredible size, strength, pace, technique, skill, vision, flair and ruthlessness to perform on a regular basis.
As an attacking threat, a free-roaming “10” in a midfield three, Pogba is almost unstoppable when he’s in rhythm. Able to shrug off opponents with ridiculous ease before sliding the ball between defenders for his attackers, he’s a one-stop shop for creator danger in the opponents half.
But how would he gel with Bakayoko? The Monaco man gets pigeonholed as a defensive midfielder, and to be sure his 1.13 shots taken per-90 is just about one third of Pogba’s 3.14, but that doesn’t make him a static sweeping presence in midfield.
Of the two Monaco centre midfielders, Bakayoko was the far more dynamic with Fabinho often sitting. Yes, Bakayoko has tackles won and interception numbers (2.27 per-90 and 2.19 per-90 respectively) that showcase his defensive prowess, but with 2.19 successful take-ons, he needs to be free to drive forward.
Pogba’s third wheel
Here’s where Ander Herrera could make a significant impact. The Spanish midfielder is a superb talent who originally came through as a no. 10; thanks to the influences of Marcelo Bielsa and Ernesto Valverde, however, this no. 10 learned to play as a no. 8.
It helped that he had a natural work-ethic and loved to tackle, but Ander settled so well into his new role that last season José Mourinho pushed him even further back to be a no. 6 – and he was superb in that role, allowing Paul Pogba to drive forward and be himself.
Bakayoko and Pogba aren’t the most ideal duo, but throw Ander Herrera into the mix as a holding midfielder and the two Frenchman could thrive next to each other.
The case for Kanté
N’Golo Kanté is not a complicated player, he is simplicity itself. If you’re playing against him and you have the ball in midfield, he’s going to get it off you. It won’t be pretty, although there is something breathtaking about the way he closes in at such speed and then rips the ball away from his opponent without having to clatter into them (but he does clatter when he has to), but it will work.
To this end, stylistically he’s a quality match for Bakayoko because he’s essentially a shorter higher-energy version of Fabinho. Yes he doesn’t have the Brazilian’s deft touch or impressive stature, but he is a whirling dervish that chews through opposing midfielders like a hungry man does a steak.
Kanté and Fabinho played an almost identical amount of forward passes last season (38.37 and 38.71 respectively) and won a similar amount of tackles and take-ons too, though Kanté did so with a more impressive 41% success vs. Fabinho’s 36%.
Kanté had more interceptions (2.38 to 1.58) but otherwise the numbers back-up the sensation that Kanté and Bakayoko would be a dream partnership in midfield. A deluxe version of the Kanté and Matic duo that powered Chelsea to Premier League glory.
Kante’s third wheel
If there’s one thing that Kanté and Bakayoko both lack, it’s the ability to create chances regularly. Kanté created 0.63 chances per-90 last season while Bakayoko managed 0.61; it’s clear that they are not creative players. Ordinarily this isn’t a problem as Chelsea’s 3-4-2-1 formation places the creative burden on the two inside forwards while the central midfielders are the sides defensive engine.
Luckily for Kanté and Bakayoko, Chelsea currently have Cesc Fabregas on their books. The Catalan playmaker isn’t a regular starter, nor does he have the legs to be, but he is a devastatingly creative force. Last season desite playing under 1400 minutes he created more chances than Kanté (22) and Bakayoko (15) by laying on 61 chances for team-mates; which works out as an incredible 4.05 per-90.
The verdict
Paul Pogba is a world-class midfielder and a better footballer than N’Golo Kanté, but the Chelsea man is clearly a better fit to partner Tiemoue Bakayoko. It’s true that Bakayoko and Pogba could be incredible together with Ander Herrera sweeping things up at the back; but Bakayoko rose to prominence playing a box-to-box role in a midfield two. Who knows if he would play with the same intensity and drive if there were a dedicated holding midfielder behind him and a dynamic ball-dominant playmaker next to him?
With Kanté, Bakayoko would find a smaller and more energetic version of Fabinho. Capable of holding midfield in a duo with himself, as they act as the defensive anchor of their side. The similar to the situation at Monaco (with wingers/inside forwards lifting the bulk of the creative heft) would allow for an easy transition and help him be his best self. For Manchester United’s part, it’s clear that pursuing Bakayoko’s team-mate Fabinho and freeing up Ander Herrera as a no. 8 once again is the way to go.
But for Tiemoue Bakayoko, N’Golo Kanté and Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are far and away the best choice. He would settle in right away and allow the Blues to upgrade their midfield significantly, with Cesc Fabregas on standby for any creative emergencies. It would be an ideal environment for Bakayoko to continue is fantastic footballing career.
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